Archive for the ‘Resume Writing’ Category

Even before you graduate in college, you dream of becoming a part of a high class company wherein you can be able to enhance your skills in whatever area you are good at. Although the problem is it is very hard to get hired in good companies. You might have experienced sending out resumes online, waiting for calls and texts but after a few days or weeks, you still do not get any calls from them. They haven’t replied to your email and you get really disappointed. One thing you can do in order to get hired easily is to make a resume that would catch the attention of the company. You have to make a resume that would stand out above the rest. So here are some few tips in improving your resume so you will have a greater chance in entering your dream job.

Hyperlinks

When you make your resume, add links or screenshots of your work. Hiring managers usually do not easily believe what you put in your resumes so next time that you say that you’re a professional editor, put a hyperlink or screenshot that proves it.

2. Videos

You can use different video editing applications in creating your video resume. You can make your resume colorful and easy to remember by presenting it in a creative way.

3. Slideshow

You can also do a slideshow which will feature your achievements and skills. You can put pictures and evidences of the things you’ve earned and of the things that you are capable of doing.

4. Reverse Psychology

Sometimes you can try reverse psychology. Instead of telling the company of what you want or what you expect to do, try asking them what job they are going to offer to you.

5. Twitter

You might also want to try twitter or “twesume”. This allows you to compose a resume with 140 characters and you can even post it as many times as you want in just a few seconds.

If companies haven’t replied to you for a few weeks already, maybe it is about time that you change or improve your resume. It is very hard to apply for a company but it is harder to be unemployed. Never give up in finding the right job for you. Try these steps and you might finally end up in a job that you want and you deserve.

Posted in Blog, Resume Writing | Comments Off on Improve your resume and get hired in your dream job

Fresh graduates will often find it difficult to get a work fresh out of school. You see, companies’ as much as possible refuses to invest in training employees, so they would rather get someone with a job experience already. But do not worry, there is actually a lot of work here in the Philippines, the challenge tough is with the hiring process.

If you’re a fresh graduate, it’s most likely that you are trying to figure out how to make a resume. You’re lucky if your school teaches you to sell yourself with the use of a resume, but some other schools don’t and you end up having to figure things out on your own.

If you’re confused as to where to start, well… first Google resume samples. But do not copy them. I repeat, do not copy them as you see it and just edit parts of it. Don’t be lazy like that, okay? Just follow their outline, such as what they look like the indentions and things like that.

A resume is something that will summarize your skills and is the one that’s going to market yourself to your employers. You have to make it good. There is no one size fits all resume, because a resume should always reflect your personality. And of course, everybody has a unique personality hence your resume cannot possibly be exactly the same as someone else’s.

Since you’re a fresh graduate, your resume will most likely fit in one page (unless you’ve been active in a lot of organizations and attended a lot of seminars during your stint in school). Do not worry of how short your resume will be. Your future employers won’t be expecting pages long resume from you since you are a fresh graduate. You do however should avoid these resume pitfalls:

Resume Pitfalls

Avoid cutting out pictures from somewhere
Guys, do not be lazy. I mean, how long will it take to have your id picture taken and developed? Believe it or not, there are some people who actually cut their picture from another picture and paste it on their resume. Do not imitate these people.

Change your email address
If your email address is something like [email protected]… Guys., never even think about putting it in your resume. Submitting a resume with this email address would make you look unprofessional. Make an email that would comprise of your first and last name as a safe option.

Typos
Always review your resume in case you may have missed something. Re-check and edit bad grammar or spelling mistakes. It will reflect badly on you if your employers would find a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes on your resume.

If you are planning to apply for a summer or an internship job this vacation, then it is best if you would begin to construct your student resume as early as possible. It is important for you to realize that being able to effectively write a great resume can determine whether you get to be accepted for a job or not. However, it can be a little different from that of the typical resume. So, to help you write your own resume, here are the things that you need to remember in writing one.

Always have a qualifications summary included in your resume to be able to help your prospective employer have an idea as to how you would be able to contribute to the company.

Give importance to your education by putting it on top of your resume instead of writing it at the bottom because you have to remember that it is the most important information that you can provide your employer especially if you have no work experiences yet to include.

You could also choose to include all those extra curricular activities and courses that you may have taken in the academe that can be truly considered related to the position that you are applying for.

You might also include unrelated jobs in your resume provided that you can be able to do that in the right way— choose the important aspects of your work experiences that can be considered relevant to the needs of the company even if you were able to get it from another type of industry.

Try to write your skills that you think are what the company needs and be sure to emphasize them in your resume.

You could also try to list all the achievements as well as the activities that you did in the past that you think may be related to the job that you’re applying for but be sure that your resume would not exceed two pages when you decide to include them.

Resume writing is the first important step that you need to prepare yourself with if you want be accepted for a particular job position. Try making your own student resume now not only for your much needed application but also as a way to perfecting your resume writing. Just see to it that all the important information stated above are included and you’ll be sure to land that summer or internship job that you need.

Graduating from college is such a fulfilling and happy experience. It is a full and proud recognition that you have successfully submitted all your class requirements, and have completely fulfilled all the things expected of you as a university student. However, the next chapter of your life begins – a chapter which you will decide for yourself. As there are college graduates who opt to go into further studies, law, or medical school; most graduates go into finding a job. Most will opt to join the workforce and hopefully, help out in the expenses of their parents.

No one however will specifically guide you and tell you step by step on what to do. The first and most important thing however, in beginning your search for work is preparing – and preparing well – your resume. You must be able to make a company think that you will be a great asset to their company, even only with your resume first. There are some key points to take into consideration when preparing your resume.

First, only put necessary things and facts about yourself in your resume. These would include your educational background, awards received, any internship or working experience, seminars attended and extra-curricular activities significant to the job you are applying to. Some people put very irrelevant personal information such as height, weight, etc. This is already unnecessary. Just remember to put information that will show your professional side.

Second, make a good layout for your resume. Although people may think that doing this is already not necessary, the layout or design of your resume is also important in catching the attention of any employer. According to research, there is only 20 seconds for your resume to make the right impression to any company, so also put an effort in outlining your resume.

Lastly, be honest about what you put in your resume. This is probably the most important thing you can do. Putting things that are not true or completely made up will only result to negative things. Once you are interviewed and hired and your employer asks you to perform something that you put in your resume, then how will you be able to carry this out? This will not only embarrass you, but will put your reputation on the line.

Remember, one’s resume is the very first avenue for any potential employer to get to know you well. They will form their initial impression of you through your resume, so you better make it comprehensive and extraordinary. Your resume will be your key into getting an interview with a potential employer. Therefore, it is very important to show your best through your resume.

Fresh graduates are usually very feisty when it comes to looking for their first job. Usually when you’re a fresh graduate, there is still that insatiable desire to impress whichever company that pays you the slightest attention. There is still that drive to prove that you’re worth their attention and that even though you’re a fresh graduate and you lack experience, you could wow them with sheer perseverance.

A lot of fresh graduates are so enthusiastic that they send out their resumes to the first companies that get their attention in job search sites. But what these job hunters forget is that it should be more about quality than quantity. Just because you’re a fresh graduate, it doesn’t mean that your chances of getting a job at an established company is significantly lessened. A lot of good companies that provide great training are always hiring for hard-working and determined candidates, regardless of the experience.

So if you really want to target the companies that you want, you might want to step it up in finding a job better and spending quality time with your applications rather than blindly mass-emailing your resumes to just about every company within a 20-mile radius.

1.When you see a job opening you like, don’t automatically hit the “Apply” button. Take the time to read through the qualifications, special skills required. Make sure you understand the qualifications and that you could deliver it. Don’t get carried away too much by your enthusiasm that you are already careless.

2.Do a little research first about the company and the position. If you think something is too good to be true, then there might be a reason that it is, and that’s what you have to find out through research.

3.Take note of all your applications so you won’t be surprised when you get a call for an interview. The last thing you want to happen is to go on and on about how great it is to be employed by Company X when the person you’re talking to on the phone is from Company Y. That is so not cool.

It’s understandable that you as a fresh graduate wants to show the world what you can do. Rushing to go online and search for different available positions is not bad, provided you have a system to it, you’re not careless, and you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Everyone goes through the job hunting process like an awful initiation rite—scared, no idea of what’s going to happen despite warnings, but ready for whatever will happen. But contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to step out into the real world blindly. There are a lot of help these days that you could incorporate in your job hunting so that you won’t come out of it with only more questions than answers.

While fresh graduates today are becoming bolder when it comes to job hunting, there are still people who don’t know what to do during a gruesome written test, or don’t know how to answer an uncomfortable question. For everyone—because you can never get too much help when it comes to job hunting in the Philippines—here are 4 reasons why you should definitely attend the OJT Careers seminar, aside of course from the fact that the speakers are awesome.

# 4 New Perspective

Yes, there have been career seminars before, and as a fresh grad you have most likely been subjected to a day of mandatory attendance to one of the workshops organized by the school. But let’s face it, you didn’t really pay attention to that seminar after you signed your name on the attendance sheet, did you?

Forget boring seminars where you keep hearing the old stuff. There’s a reason that they’re called old in this new age. Trends keep changing, employers’ standards change. That’s why you should keep up with the demands of today’s industries. And that’s exactly what you’re going to get from attending the OJT Careers seminar. Fresh perspective from people who have insider information from both employers and applicants—first-hand!

# 3 In depth Discussion

It’s time that you get the exact help that you need from the people who know what they’re talking about. It’s about time you get to participate in the discussion—ask questions that’s on your mind and get the answers from the employers themselves.

Also, learn about job interview secrets that have baffled other applicants before; discover what makes job interviews scary and nerve-racking and how you could overcome both.

# 2 Lots of Interaction

A seminar should not be one-way. The success of any seminar/class/workshop does not depend solely on the ones conducting it but on the audience as well. The OJT Careers seminar greatly promotes interaction among everyone to keep the discussion always interesting.

Forget the usual mindset that you usually have when attending seminars where all you do is sit there for hours and listen to people talking. Get ready for a fun, interactive, and awesome talks and forums given by speakers who are considered to be the best in their fields.

Last Saturday, July 3, the OJT Careers Team found themselves driving along Roxas Blvd., on the way to Caloocan to pay a visit to the Computer Studies Department in Manila Central University (MCU) and share a few things about job hunting that could help the students for when they graduate.

Geared with their presentations and some fun activities, the whole team made way for the seminar entitled, â€œFire Up Your Potential with OJTCareers.comâ€ in partnership with TrabahoPhilippines.com. The team discussed about the most important things to remember during the job application process, especially for graduating student. These included resume and cover letter writing, job hunting strategies, job interview tips, and a bonus discussion on personality development.

The team had fun in the interactive discussions mostly because the students themselves were very participative and attentive. It was very rewarding that these students were taking down pointers during the discussion and that they were asking questions that would help them when they finally join the real world and look for their first full-time job.

The discussion about personality development was especially fun because of the interaction among students. They were able to find out a lot of interesting things about themselves and their friends, all of which could help improve their perception of themselves and of others, which in turn would build their self confidence and gear them up for the competitive world of job hunting.

Overall, it’s an understatement to say that the OJT Careers seminar was a success. In truth, it was nothing short of awesome. Mr. Avonn Nova, Dean of the Computer Studies Department, Ms. Malou and Ms. Marlyn were all very accommodating. The OJT Careers Team definitely enjoyed interacting with a great crowd. And the best part about all this is that the seminar was FREE.

If you are also interested for the team to visit your school and have a free seminar just like what happened in MCU, all you have to do is send an email to [email protected]. In the meantime, here are some of the pics from the seminar. Enjoy!

Who Else Wants to Get Hired This Summer?

Now that summer is coming up, a lot of people are already making their respective summer plans. But for college students, summer usually means it’s time they find a company they can have their OJT or just a summer job they can involve themselves in to still get an allowance. Fortunately for them, there are a lot of companies today who are particularly looking for OJTs and part-timers. Here are some of the summer job ideas that you can consider, whether you’re living in Manila or not.

Call Center CompaniesMost of the time, people living in Manila and Makati have the advantage of finding different summer jobs. The most common summer jobs available today still include call center companies like TeleTech, ePerformax, ACS, and Covergys. These companies are always hiring throughout the year, and they have a number of branches throughout Manila. They usually also have special spots for college students. If you’re looking for a job which will hone your communication skills and if you don’t mind the shifting schedule, working at a call center could be a great opportunity for you, if only for a few months.

Coffee Shops
Coffee shops particularly Starbucks have boomed in the recent years because it has been an unexpected hit among the youth. 10 years ago, you wouldn’t see someone at the age of 20 having coffee at 12 noon, but now that trend has changed. Having a foamy frappe for lunch has almost become a staple among teens. And the best news for teens? Working in coffee shops is as much fun as hanging out there. Starbucks and other popular shops here are also always on the lookout for baristas and cashiers, and other positions. The schedule is also flexible to fit yours. If you think you’ll enjoy working in this kind of environment, there are more than twenty locations in Ayala, Makati alone and more than a hundred in Makati and Manila.

Fast Food Chains
Before the coffee shops and the call center companies boomed, the typical teenager’s first refuge for a summer job would be a fast food chain like Jollibee, McDonald’s, etc. It’s because fast food chains always hire students and they are willing to give you a schedule that won’t coincide with your your schedule in school. Also, fast food chains aren’t that strict with the qualifications.

Different University Departments
If you don’t want to go far or go the extra mile in looking for a summer job. The most convenient way for you is to look for vacancies in your own university. Most of the time, different departments are looking for a student assistant, so if your university is accessible to you, you should consider checking your university’s bulletin boards for possible positions you could fill in.

These are just some ideas you can consider if you’re looking for a summer job. These work either it’s for your OJT or you just want to earn. On a related note, you can increase you chances of getting hired this summer through these articles:

Write a Good Objective Statement For Your Resume

When you hand in your resume, one of the first things the interviewer is going to read is your career objective. A lot of times, this has been a deal breaker for a lot of applicants because 1) they usually apply for different positions but they never change their resume objective, and 2) they give a too general objective that it’s already vague, thus making you seem uncertain.

The real problem about job seekers not being able to write a good resume objective is in their perception of what it is. Most of the time, they just put the objective right after they write the contents of their resume, just like an after-thought. However, there’s a reason why it comes before the rest of your resume. It has a significance that’s why it’s placed even before your qualifications and other information about you.

The first thing you should NOT do is write the rest of the contents of your resume before writing the objective. It should be the other way around. The rest of your resume should be based on your objective, so you’ll know which skills and qualifications you have that you need to highlight. That being said, here are things you need to remember before you write your objective.

First, be concise. Your objective should be specific to the job you’re applying for and to the skills that you can offer.

Second, instead of making your objective a sentence, use verb phrases. For example, â€œSeeking…â€ instead of â€œI seek…â€. This is because verb phrases sound more driven an aggressive.

Third,Â make sure that your objective goes with the rest of the resume. It’s an eyesore for interviewers if they see that the applicant is very careless in writing a wrong resume objective that doesn’t match with anything in his resume.

Fourth, state how you can be an asset to the company instead of telling what you would like to gain from it. For instance, saying â€œSeeking a position in the Human Resources Department where I can utilize my skills in Behavioral Psychologyâ€ instead of saying â€œSeeking a position in the Human Resources Department where I can apply myself and learn from the bestâ€.

With these resume objective tips in mind, OJTs who are just getting the taste of the real world and those first time job seekers who are also still a bit on the blind side can gear up better in writing their resume and getting a bigger chance at being hired.